Up Down Side Side
by thelianeandemmashow
Summary: Edward owes drug dealer Bella and her friend Alice a favor. Dark materials. AH/AU/OOC. "You'll be better someday. Better than this. Better than me. Promise me, Edward. Promise you'll get better and then you'll pay me back." Lemon stuff later
1. Chapter 1

Just trying something new. Enjoy, rate, and review. Please do not judge us as people. Note that this is a bit of a mockery.

THREE YEARS AGO

Bella handed Edward the last of her precious stash. It was foolish of her to do this, of course, but he was pretty damn sexy. She couldn't resist. Edward greedily accepted the cocaine and began trying to crush the rocks of the whitish powder through the bag.

"I know this is stupid of me to give this all to you." Bella whispered. Edward's only acknowledgement of Bella was a slight nod as he dug in his pocket for the razors and mirror chip.

"But one day, you'll be off this shit. You'll have a steady job and a place to live. You'll actually make money. And I know that when this day comes, you'll help me out. You'll repay me for all the shit you've mooched for the past year and a half. You got that?"

Edward kept fumbling for the razor. He was sure he had it with him…

Bella grabbed Edward's searching hand and turned his face to hers. "You hear me, Edward? You'll be better someday. Better than this. Better than me. You'll repay me then." Edward stared into Bella's eyes, searching for something magical. For a minute, he was sure he had seen her irises sparkle, but that might have been a side effect from the LSD he was coming off. Also a gift from the brunette beauty, who just happened to be the best drug dealer around.

"Okay, sure. I'll help you then." Edward said, doubting he'd ever get off the drugs he had been depending on for the past year and a half. It had started when he was prescribed a narcotic for neck pain and been given hallucinogens as a joke.

"Promise me, Edward." Bella's stare was unwavering. "Promise you'll get better."

"Sure, sure, yeah, I promise," he said, sticking a Marlboro in his mouth but not lighting it.

Bella cast him a beatific smile. "Thank you," she said, and for a moment, Edward felt tender towards the girl. But it lasted for only a second.

_THREE YEARS LATER (PRESENT DAY)_

Bella pushed open the door to the barren apartment. "Alice?"

Alice came out of the bathroom, wearing a bra and trying to get into a pair of fishnets. "Yeah?"

"Where you going, Alice?" Alice shrugged, reaching for the always-present pack of cigarettes on the dumpy dresser.

"Where I always go on Fridays. Duh." She said, picking up the cigarettes and opening the drawer to look for a lighter. Bella nodded. Alice was always a classier hooker on Fridays, waiting outside of nightclubs that sold actual Grey Goose, not some crappy knockoff like on other weekdays. In a way, Bella was Alice's pimp. Alice worked as a prostitute, Bella supplied her with drugs and a home as long as Alice paid her one tenth of her weekly income and gave Bella a free kinky hour once a week. They'd enacted all of Bella's favorite books and movies, which were surprisingly tasteful for a woman of her stature, and Bella was getting a little bored. But she wasn't going to kick Alice out. She wasn't a cruel person. And she definitely wasn't giving up sexy Sundays.

"Hey, Bella, what's this?" Alice held up a crumpled piece of paper. Bella shrugged it off as a magazine fitness ad she'd wanted to try, turning to her kitchen pot drawer and grabbing an ounce for her pocket.

"Bella, you should look at this." Alice had flattened the paper as best as possible, making it obvious that it was a bill notice. "I think it's important."

"What is it?" Bella groaned, groping for the minifridge without bothering to get up.

"It's some sort of bill notice."

"I have until the second to pay it off, Alice. I've only gotten one."

"No Bella. You see, this says it's the second. And that if we wanted to stay in this apartment, we had until yesterday to pay it off."

Bella shrugged, trying to feign nonchalance. So what if they were a day or two late paying the bills? They'd manage. They always did. And if a guy came to pick them up, Alice could offer them a free fuck. Hell, Bella would offer them a free fuck. Or let them sit (or participate) in sexy Sunday. It would work out, right?

"Bella," Alice said cautiously. "I think we're in deep shit."

Bella smacked her head against the counter. "Alice, we'll be fine." Though Bella meant it as reassurance, she felt the comment was more of a question. They'd be fine. They'd get through this, like they always did. In a way, Alice reminded Bella of Edward, kind of. So dependant, yet so independent. Alice and Edward both needed Bella to live, but Bella also needed them. They were nearly as addicting as the drugs Bella dealt. Edward more so, in Bella's mind, because of his clear, charismatic, understated nature. He was so sweet and always seemed interested—well, as interested as someone high off of cocaine, marijuana, LSD, heroin, or a mix of the four could seem. Alice was bubbly. That really was the only word to describe Alice's nature. Bella liked that Alice was so… intoxicating, and didn't ever drop her happy charade, even when she was thirsting for a fix, which Bella always provided. One of the perks of being a drug dealer; feeling wanted. Bella was always wanted, if not by Alice or Edward, then by her other loyal customers, Tyler, Lauren, Jessica, Mike, Eric, and Angela. Her regulars. Sometimes she had people who were long relations, as she liked to call them. The Denali sisters, Tanya, Kate, Irina and her boyfriend Laurent. James and Victoria. Garrett. Peter and Charlotte. Sometimes even Maria, who always argued and threatened Bella for cheaper drugs, but ended up paying the most. Bella was desired and knew it. Of course, out of all the addictions Bella catered to, hers was the worst. She always had the pick of the best stuff, which she obviously saved for herself. And the best stuff was the strongest, so when Bella had only half par stuff, she needed more. And more and more. Bella was in deeper shit than Alice thought.

**Review, por favor!**

**-M-uh and Liane.**


	2. Chapter 2

TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO

Edward sat in the over-stuffed tacky rehab chair. He had long since detoxed and broken his addiction, but it was times like this—when he was really nervous—that he craved a fix of anything. Pot to make him low and sleepy and detached, heroin to make him dizzy and tingly, cocaine to make him feel stimulated and sexy, or LSD to make him feel… free. Anything to escape this.

The doctor sat in front of him, a smile on his face. "Well, Edward," he said slowly. "It seems like we've made a lot of process."

Edward hated how the doctor said 'we.' The doctor was never addicted to anything stronger than coffee. He hadn't even smoked a cigarette. Edward would put money on that.

"I guess."

The doctor chuckled. "You're going to have to do more than guess that you've made progress to get out today, Edward."

Edward's head perked up. After six months—a quarter of the requested sentence—Edward was being let out.

"I'm getting out?"  
"Only if you're sure you've made the progress you need to make."

Edward really could have jumped for joy. He could have sung a jingle from the '80's Nair commercial about aloe vera and short shorts. For a fleeting second, Edward wished Bella were there to see the changes he'd made in his life. In that same second, he wished he could remember that _something_ he'd felt when he looked at her that last time before he was whisked away to rehab—but that too lasted for only one second.

_TWO AND A HALF YEARS LATER (PRESENT DAY)_

Bella's head was still resting on the counter from when she'd smacked it there, trying to reassure Alice in her passive way. Bella had done the math after Alice read her the numbers on the bill, and the numbers weren't adding up. Bella had enough money to buy food and Alice's makeup, but no more. $250. That was all Bella had in her little money cupboard. $11.26 in her bank account; none of this was any good for a $1500 bill. There was no way the rent money or the shredded yet maxed out credit card bill would be paid. Even if Bella made bank tonight, she still needed to send a portion to _her_ dealer. She really was screwed. And Alice being the precognitive person she was sensed it.

"Bella, you're in deeper shit then you're telling me. What's going on?"

Bella groaned and tugged on her hair.

"Alice, we're broke. We have no money to pay for _anything_. Except for maybe your makeup and food. Alice, we're fucked."

Alice nodded, accepting the facts slowly. They were going to be homeless. They were going to starve. They were thoroughly and royally fucked.

There was a pounding on the door. Bella looked up. "Oh shit," Alice whispered to Bella. Bella nodded slightly, paling in the face and bile rising in her stomach. She was sure she was going to puke.

The pounding sounded again, this time louder and more urgent. Bella scrambled to grab as much of her drugs as possible, positive they'd imprison her for drug possession, or worse; throw out her stash. She needed her stash for money. She needed her stash to be able to fucking _function_.

Alice jumped to help her a half second later. Together, in only a few seconds, they had gathered the little packets into Bella's large jean pocket.

The pounding sounded again, louder and even more urgent than before, muted shouts from the people outside echoing through the tiny apartment.

"Coming in _a minute!_" Alice shouted, grabbing another cigarette and hastily lighting it. She tossed the pack to the shaking Bella, who grabbed one and struggled to light it. This time, Alice would smooth talk them out of this mess this time. Bella was much too nervous. She fumbled with the lighter but found she couldn't get the damn thing to work, probably a mixture of her sweaty hands and nerves and shaking hands. She grasped the counter as Alice opened the door, pretending her cigarette was lit and she was just suffering from mid-morning nausea after a drunken night.

"What?" Alice challenged the two men standing before her, each wearing bulletproof vests and IRS badges. Bella tuned the man who spoke out, digging through the drawer for a match.

"What's wrong with her?" the IRS man said, nodding to Bella.

"She's fucked up and hung-over," Alice said.

"Mmm," the guy said, raising an eyebrow at the shaky brunette.

Bella managed to find a matchbook, ripped out a match, and shakily tried to light it.

"Here." The other guy took the match and book from her and lit the match. He cupped his hand around the cigarette hanging from Bella's mouth and the match flared briefly as it made contact with the light.

"Thanks," Bella mumbled, taking a deep, shaky drag on the cigarette. She felt the all-calming rush of nicotine flood her senses, and was at ease. She could do this. She could roll out of this okay. She had cigarette in her system, and she felt her swagger building up again. She had learned to control her mouth in front of cops or whatever was interested in her. She and Alice would get through this. They would.

"So what's going on?" Alice slumped forward, highlighting her cleavage. The IRS man who first spoke cleared his throat to possibly notify Alice that her papery bra was showing through the neckline and the shirt that resembled crepe paper…

"Ma'am, who is the lease holder of the apartment?"

"Oh! Mm," Bella raised her hand, coughing slightly at the sudden inhalation of smoke. She made a bigger show than necessary of regaining her breath. When she finally took the last shuddery breath for show, she blinked and smiled at the men.

"How can I help you?"

The man coughed slightly. "While your lease is not up, your rent is long overdue. Do you have any way to pay for the apartment?"

"Uh… can I get it to you next weekend?"

"Ma'am, I'm not sure if you're aware, but the date your payment was due passed. The only way you'll be allowed to keep this apartment is if you give your payment; today."

Bella slumped to the counter.

"I have no money. None."

The men looked at Bella and Alice with no sympathy. The man closest to Alice grabbed her arm and nearly tossed her off the bed. Alice whined in protest. Bella, clutching her stash and her money, held on to Alice as the men posted an 'EVICTED' notice on their front door. Alice had her small bag filled with cosmetics and small clothes. Bella had her stash and that was all. Her drugs were all she had.

"Oh, Bella," Alice moaned. "Bella, Bella, how the hell will we get out of this shithole?"

Bella sat quietly on the cold curb, pondering the possibilities. Well, their lives were pretty crappy right now. No home. No food. Nothing.

"You know what, Alice? I think we've got a way out of this."

Alice looked at Bella like she was high, which she probably was, if only a little.

"What?"

"I think we've got a way out of this, Alice," Bella repeated a little more slowly. "It's simple. We'll call Edward."

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	3. Chapter 3

ONE YEAR AGO

Bella was making her usual rounds on the university quad, trying to look casual and unoffending. In her pocket, she had about twelve ounces of true-to-God marijuana, all concealed in plastic bags and then envelopes labeled 'theater tickets—Friday'. She was in a good mood. Business had been going smoothly and she hadn't crashed in nearly two months. After Edward left, life was hard for Bella. True, they had never been exclusive or really anything but a dealer and a customer, but Bella sensed something more was there. The year after Edward left, Bella had spent the majority of her time snorting more coke than she sold, inhaling more pot fumes than she smoked, and smoking more cigarettes than she could afford. She had overdosed and seizured—once, the week after Edward left—and then took more care of her body. She ate fewer grains and focused on the intake of stuff that would keep her going—sugar and caffeine. If she took those damn calcium, protein, fiber and vitamin D pills, she'd be fine. She always got back up on her feet somehow.

Now she was back up on her feet, and doing quite well. She had obtained new customers, some European guys whose names were weird and lied to talk in riddles when they were high. Whatever floats their boat, Bella had thought, as long as it brings me money.

Bella sat down on her usual bench in front of the bus stop. She never got on the bus, because bus fair was too much money to waste and bus riders were always suspicious of her jacket which was a size too large to be conspicuous and her hair which was too smooth for dreadlocks but too tangled and dirty for it to be pretty. People looked at her cut up fingers and hands and wondered what happened. They looked at the fading bruises on her arms and suspected an abusive boyfriend. Bella's overall appearance was that of a homeless person, and she didn't do much to hide it.

The bus pulled up, and a slew of people got off. A fat woman pulling her multiracial son by the elbow, screaming at him and her cell phone, a worried looking man with a briefcase that Bella bet was filled with anxiety medicine, a girl with pierced eyebrows and a tutu, and a couple. The couple had the potential of looking cute, but the girl was pulling on the guy's arm, whispering frantically. Bella rolled her eyes. If there was one thing she hated, it was a dependant girl. Sure, she was dependant on the drugs she dealt, but it was different when a girl was dependant on a guy. How revolting.

The guy pushed her off, and the girl stumbled back, eyes filling with tears. It was then that Bella realized what the couple was—a man and his 'date'. The girl was obviously a hooker, but a tasteful one. She was wearing a tight low cut top and skintight jeans that would have accentuated cellulite if the girl—who was a twig—had any. Her makeup was thick and her hair short and messy. The girl clutched her purse to her chest, speaking a little louder. Bella strained to hear what she said, and would have missed it if the bus hadn't pulled away a second earlier.

"You cheated me!" The girl's words confirmed Bella's suspicions. If they had been a couple, she would have added 'on' between 'cheated' and 'me'.

The man scowled and shrugged it off. "Fuck it, girl. It doesn't even matter. With that pussy of yours, not to mention that mouth, you'll get the money you need and more."

"I don't care!" The girl said, voice bordering on hysteria. "You cheated me! That money was _mine_. It was in my purse, I want it back! And the money _you_ owe me. Give me my money!"

The man rolled his eyes and turned to walk away. "You're just a goddamn dirty whore."

The girl, now crying and shaking, pointed a finger at him, her nails covered in chipped red polish. "I don't care about the money you owe me now. You cheated me! You stole from me! That's my money, and I want it back! I _deserve_ the money I earn!"

"You deserve it?" The man nearly roared, "You deserve money you've made from breaking the law?"  
"Oh, now you care about breaking the law!" The girl fired back. "You don't care about cheating on your fiancée _and_ the girl you're cheating on _her_ with, you don't care about _stealing_ from _me_—which, by the way, is a _felony_—and now you have the, the, _balls_ you didn't have last night to tell me that _I'm_ breaking the law by supporting myself in the only way I know how!"

The man slapped her across the face, hard. The girl stumbled back, clutching her reddened cheek as the man murmured, "Go to hell."

He stormed away, leaving the girl bawling and pointing after him. "He stole my money!" she cried, "He stole my money! Thief! Thief! Goddamned dirty fucking—_thief!_"

Bella approached the girl who collapsed to the ground, shuddering and sobbing.

"Hi there," Bella said softly. The girl threw her purse at Bella.

"Take that too, why don't you!" She screamed from behind her legs, voice muffled by the nylon material of her black pantyhose. "It's got $60 worth of pot and $80 of coke. Happy now? You've taken everything from me, everything! My life savings in that wallet, you son of a bitch! I out to have you reported for rape, you—you—you assho—" The girl stopped as she raised her head and saw Bella before her, not the man who robbed her.

"Done now?" Bella asked, pulling an envelope from her pocket and tearing it open with her teeth. The girl hiccupped and looked embarrassed.

"He took my money," she whispered. "All of it. My savings, from the past year, I've cut back on the dope and coke, I was getting better, I swear I was."

"It's okay," Bella said, rubbing the girl's shoulder. "Do you want a cigarette?" The girl nodded and gratefully reached for the package Bella handed to her. Camel—Bella stopped smoking Marlboro when Edward left.

"Thanks," the girl mumbled, lighting it from Bella's already lit bud. "My name is Alice."

"My name's Bella. Don't worry, you'll be okay. I'll let you stay with me for a while if you'd like."

_ONE YEAR LATER (PRESENT)_

Bella and Alice huddled in the payphone booth, searching through the list of names.

"Cullen, Cullen, where the hell is Cullen?" Alice mumbled. "With a name as obscure, you'd think it'd be more eye catching in a thing as bland as a telephone book."

"Shut up," Bella hissed. "I think I found it. Edward Cullen, number's right there above a guy named Emmett Cullen and below Esme and Carlisle Cullen."

_Maybe Edward has family,_ Bella thought, though she doubted they'd be as beautiful as Edward. Bella dialed the number and inserted the coins, anxiously hopping from one foot to the other as the phone sounded the dial tone… then rang.

"Hello?" Edward's velvet voice sounded, and Bella's hear leapt. It had been three years since she heard his voice, and she didn't realize how much she missed it until she heard it once again.

"Edward?"

"Yes, this is Edward. Who is this?"

"Edward, it's me… Bella."

Edward's breath caught and Bella squeezed Alice's hand as she waited for him to speak.

"Bella… how are you?" He asked slowly, voice sounding upset and something else Bella couldn't put a finger on. She didn't dwell on the unnamable emotion for more than a second and spoke quickly; worried they'd run out of money before the phone call was done.

"Edward, I need your help. Remember the favor I did you? Gave you all that shit for free, I need a favor in return, Edward. My friend and I've been evicted. We need a place to stay for a while until we can find a place that'll take us."

Edward paused for a second, unsure of what to say.

"Okay, Bella. But just because I owe you this. You and your friend can stay with me for three months, but no longer. I'm done with drugs, and when the three months are up, unless you quit, I'll be done with you."

Bella nodded quickly, too excited to be offended by his unintended insult. "Thank you, Edward! Can you come pick us up? We'll be in front of the Paramount in an hour. Please?"

Edward sighed, unhappy at the situation he had gotten himself into. "Okay, Bella." Bella squealed with excitement and hung up, and as Edward walked to his car, he felt the sort of tenderness he had once felt for Bella, but in one second it was replaced with disgust he felt for harboring a drug dealer and her little friend in his home.

**Hate? Love? Indifference? All of the above? Okay, done rhyming. Let us know what you think in a review or PM!**


	4. Chapter 4

FOUR AND A HALF YEARS AGO

Edward sat on the street curb, head in his hands. He was tired and unsure of what to do—he had been in this city for years and knew his way around, but tonight he was so disoriented. What happened the night before at the party? He remembered the smell more than anything; the husky, sweet, and smoky colliding with the chemicalesque, numb, and harsh. He remembered some colors, too; the thick greenish brown and the chunky powder white. He knew something _must_ have happened, due to his painful headache. It wasn't a hangover, because Edward hadn't touched alcohol since he was fifteen. Three years ago…

All Edward had done was stumbled into a party slightly high off the neck pain narcotics he thought were too strong. He was seeking a thrill, and the world wasn't making any sense, so in his demented mind state, he settled on the funny smelling party…

Edward groaned as the headache intensified with all his thinking. Nothing was making sense. He needed something, but couldn't put a finger on it.

"Hey, buddy." A soft female voice rang out, piercing Edward's eardrums and rattling his brain. He winced audibly at the noise and rolled his head to the right to see who the hell wanted to bother him. Any other day, the prospect of a female with a nice voice would have made him jittery inside, happy and excited to be recognized. Not now. Not today. He hoped he wouldn't repulse her with his gruff and probably whiny tone.

"Yeah?" Edward mumbled, rubbing his eyes at the light. There was something blocking the gray clouds of Seattle—something round and not round at the same time that oddly resembled a potato with yarn on top. In fact, now that he looked more closely, it _was_ a potato with yarn on top. A _talking_ potato with yarn on top.

"You look like you need a fix. You're crashing, right?" Edward blinked in amazement at the animated yet seemingly inanimate object in front of him. The potato nodded, and then shook its head. Before his open eyes, the potato changed into the shape of a girl's face. This girl might have been attractive, had it not been for what looked like a red rash across her face and dilated pupils.

"Last night your first time, eh, buddy?"

Edward nodded dumbly, watching the girl's leprosy stricken face change to one of clear peachy skin. She had flushed cheeks and small lips, but all that was okay with Edward. She was hot.

"What did you try? Pot? Coke? Heroin? LSD? 'Shrooms?" Edward shook his head, trying to clear it. The girl laughed.

"Do you remember… anything about last night? Colors, sounds, shapes, people?" Edward processed what she said for a moment, then croaked, "Colors and smells."

The girl smiled. "What did it smell like? Can you name anything it smelled like?"

"Hospitals. The white stuff smelled like hospitals and dentist offices. The brown one smelled smoky."

The girl smiled again. "Lucky for you, I happen to have refills of _both_ of those. Come with me, let's get you back up and functioning."

Edward nodded, his lips crispy and dry. He followed the girl for a few steps and then stopped.

"I don't have any money."

The girl shrugged. "You'll pay me back somehow, someday."

_FOUR AND A HALF YEARS LATER (PRESENT)  
_Edward cringed at the smell that filled his car. Bella and Alice, the friend, had long since gotten in and showered his cheeks with smelly kisses and compliments about how nice he looked and how great his car was and who gives a fuck. He didn't like the smell of the cigarettes and pot and coke—it was too tempting.

While Edward was proud he had quit and couldn't imagine relapsing—ever—he was so tempted to reach back and ask Bella for just $10 worth of LSD. He could almost see the swirling colors and magical twistings of the world and now, all these feelings were literally an arm's length away.

"Oh, Edward, you really are a lifesaver!" Bella cried for the eighth time.

"Yeah, yeah," Edward mumbled. "It's just repayment."

ONE WEEK LATER

Bella, Edward, and Alice sat on the back porch, looking at the plain wooden swing that Bella had passed out on multiple times. Bella sighed and rested her head slightly on Edward's shoulder.

"You sure you don't want to three-fer with us?" Edward shook his head, stony cold at the question that was asked so often, it was almost a request.

"No."

"You don't want to watch?" Alice took her head out of Bella's lap to look at Edward.

"No."

"You're one weird guy, Edward. I've never met a guy who hasn't liked some live girl-on-girl action."

Edward turned to look away, and Bella took her head off his shoulder.

"Are you sure you don't want rehabilitation?"

Bella pulled out a cigarette. "Stop asking, Edward. I'm fine. I like the way I live. I'm _fine_."

"What about you, Alice?"

Alice frantically looked between Bella and Edward. "This is the only job I know how to do," she said. "The drugs I guess are a plus."

Edward sighed, and resigned his face to his palms. "What if I agreed to… watch?"

Bella chuckled, sucking the cigarette and passing it to Alice. "Watching is supposed to be pleasurable. It wouldn't be for you if you did it just to send us to rehab."

"You don't need to go to rehab. My dad's a doctor. I could have him help you detox and it could be done right in my house. My friend is also really great at getting people to agree with him. He could get you two jobs."

"No thanks." Bella and Alice responded in unison.

"What if I agreed to… join in?" The idea completely grossed Edward out. Who knew what kind of STDs these girls had?

"Also supposed to be pleasurable. You'd be doing it for more than to just get off without having to whack off."

Edward sighed. He had tried to convince these girls to break their addictions, but they adamantly refused. Every single fucking time. It was like they _wanted_ to die sooner.

Bella groaned and leaned back on the porch, showing off her inverted stomach and semi-infected belly button ring. Edward looked at her, and noticed that when she let down her guard completely like this, she looked peaceful, young, and… what was it? Beautiful? Edward hardly pondered this for a second, then cast it away as she lit herself another cigarette and reached for the bottomless bag of white powder.

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**Look for in the next chapter: **_**She wanted to remain loyal to Bella and say no, but if Bella weren't around…**_

**If you can guess what that's about, kudos to you! We'll give you a big(ger) sneak peak at the next chapter and possibly even whole story. Use the sneak peak as incentive, readers! Whoever is the first to review (ever, and then continued for chapters) will get sneak peaks and the ability to offer us suggestions. :)**


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